MILTON’S NATURE WARMS THE SOUL

The 33-foot mural for the new hospital foyer is almost complete

VISIT THE MURAL and WATCH ARTISTS AT WORK

The 33-foot mural for the hospital’s new foyer is almost complete! Don’t miss your chance to bring friends and family to see local artists working live on the mural in the public studio at Milton Mall!

The three-panel wood structure with a textured bas-relief in cardboard is now on the wall and the acrylic painting will be completed in the next couple of weeks. Stop by the studio space at the Milton Mall on Wednesday and Thursday each week from 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm, open to the public. Look for the mural studio across from Suzy Shier and Milton Photo in the Milton Mall.

May 25, 2017 – Milton, Canada: Fine Arts Society of Milton volunteer artist, Vicki Young, working on the mural which will be displayed in the foyer of the Milton District Hospital expansion. Photo by Stacey Newman.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE A 33-FOOT MURAL?

31 artists

600 hours

A team of three artist leaders: Tina Newlove, Ursula McDermid, and Nancy Cuttle

Three wood panels: 8×8, 8×16, 8×8 (with a six-inch space in between panels)

Lots of “test tiles”

Special cardboard donated by Uline, to create texture and depth (two-ply cardboard to build up layers)

May 25, 2017 – Milton, Canada: Fine Arts Society of Milton artists, Diana Tuszynski and Tina Newlove, working on the mural which will be displayed in the foyer of the Milton District Hospital expansion. Photo by Stacey Newman.

Artists Ursula McDermid, Nancy Cuttle, and Tina Newlove have led the conceptualization and the production of a custom 33-foot mural that will adorn the foyer of the Milton District Hospital expansion. The mural entitled “Milton’s Nature Warms the Soul” depicts the escarpment and the changing of seasons.

Tina Newlove is the principal designer and lead artist on the mural. According to the renowned local painter, the mural came about “thanks to the initiative of our president Ursula McDermid of the Fine Arts Society of Milton (FASM).” McDermid spearheaded the proposal and throughout 2016, FASM held brainstorming sessions with the Halton Healthcare Redevelopment Group resulting in Newlove’s final design, which references Milton’s historical brickwork, farmland, and natural landscape.

“I sought to highlight the warmth and healing of nature in all the seasons and a sense of our interconnected community.” – Tina Newlove

Local sculptor Nancy Cuttle, also of FASM, has been instrumental in the project: working out sizes, materials, and implementing the bas-relief sculptural qualities of the design. The mural itself is being painted in acrylics over the primed and textured bas-relief sculpture formed using cardboard pieces—which are adhered and protected using a clear-drying glue—on wooden panels by 31 volunteer FASM community artists under the direction of Newlove.

May 25, 2017 – Milton, Canada: Fine Arts Society of Milton volunteer artist, Diana Tuszynski, working on the mural which will be displayed in the foyer of the Milton District Hospital expansion. Photo by Stacey Newman.May 25, 2017 – Milton, Canada: Design notes and plans are taped to the wall inside the studio where Fine Arts Society of Milton artists are working on the mural which will be displayed in the foyer of the Milton District Hospital expansion. Photo by Stacey Newman.

Glossary of art terms used in this article

Bas-relief: Relief, (from Italian relievare: “to raise”) also called relievo, in sculpture, any work in which the figures project from a supporting background, usually a plane surface. In a low relief, or bas-relief (basso-relievo), the design projects only slightly from the ground and there is little or no undercutting of outlines.

Mural: Mural, a painting applied to and made integral with the surface of a wall or ceiling. The term may properly include painting on fired tiles but ordinarily, does not refer to mosaic decoration unless the mosaic forms part of the overall scheme of the painting.

Acrylic Painting: Acrylic painting, painting executed in the medium of synthetic acrylic resins. Acrylics dry rapidly, serve as a vehicle for any kind of pigment, and are capable of giving both the transparent brilliance of watercolour and the density of oil paint. They are considered to be less affected by heat and other destructive forces than is oil paint. They found favour among artists who were concerned about the health risks posed by the handling of oil paints and the inhalation of fumes associated with them… Notable 20th-century artists who used acrylic paint include Pop artists Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, Op artist Bridget Riley, colour field artists Mark Rothko, Ellsworth Kelly, and Barnett Newman, and British artist David Hockney.(Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica)

May 25, 2017 – Milton, Canada: Test tiles made up of special cardboard layers, forming bas-relief textures which have been painted. The tiles represent part of the planning process for the Fine Arts Society of Milton artists’ mural which will be displayed in the foyer of the Milton District Hospital expansion. Photo by Stacey Newman.

Nancy Cuttle of FASM says that none if would have been possible without the collaboration of generous community partners including:

FASM (Fine Arts Society of Milton) FACTS

FASM is Milton and area’s premiere art collective: bringing a community of artists together to bring art to the community. A non-profit organization, FASM was formed to bring together people with a common interest in visual art and to provide the opportunity for members to further their growth in art and art appreciation.

Founded by 16 artists in 1997, FASM’s membership has grown to 125 very diverse artists.

FASM is an Affiliated Group recognized by the Town of Milton for its role in providing and supporting leisure activities for Milton residents.

“From Heart to Hand” continues our tradition of an annual members’ show that began in 1997.

First organized in 1998, our annual Studio Tour takes place on the weekend before Thanksgiving.

FASM continues to grow as a recognized community source for creative souls. Opportunities for members, non-members and the viewing public have increased and include the Youth Visual Arts Mentoring Project, a proposed “Art is Ageless” Program for Seniors, the Holiday Season members’ show, various classes and activities for all ages as well as art displays in a number of local businesses.

The recent installation of a composite Mural created by 80 FASM artists can be seen at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre on Pan Am Drive. The celebratory mural, presented to the Town of Milton is a legacy in tribute to the athletes of the PanAm and ParaPan Am Games of 2015 and the citizens of Milton who will perpetuate the spirit of the games.(Source: fasm.ca)